On July 23, the ninth stage of the exchange of prisoners of war took place, which was agreed upon in Istanbul between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
Points of attention
- Over 1,000 Ukrainian citizens, including seriously ill and wounded defenders, were returned in the successful ninth stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
- The exchange was conducted based on mutual agreement between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, following the Istanbul agreements, playing a crucial role in bringing back soldiers defending Ukraine on various fronts.
- President Zelensky highlighted the importance of continuing the exchanges to ensure all citizens return home, providing necessary support and medical care to those returned.
Ukraine returns its citizens from Russian captivity
This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Seriously ill and seriously injured defenders are returning home. We can now talk about the details — during all stages of the latest Istanbul agreements, we managed to return more than 1,000 of our people. For thousands of families, it is a joy to hug their loved ones again. Thank you to everyone who worked on this.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The soldiers returning today defended Ukraine on various fronts. A significant number were held captive for over three years.
Everyone will receive the necessary support and medical care.
It is important that the exchanges continue and our people return home. Thank you to everyone who continues this vital work. Returning all of our people is a priority for the state. And we will continue all efforts to ensure that all of our people return from captivity.
Among the liberated were soldiers, sergeants, officers, and even the last of the defenders of Snake Island.
At the current stage, it has been possible to release servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular from units of the State Border Guard, the Navy, the Territorial Defense Forces, as well as soldiers of the State Border Service, the National Guard, and the National Police of Ukraine.
Some of the soldiers released today were captured during the defense of Mariupol and spent more than 3 years in captivity. The youngest was 27 years old, the oldest was 66 years old.
